Support for Pre-school Children

We support children according to their communication needs.  We do this by working with parents / carers, nursery teachers, setting staff and other professionals. Together, we all, support young children with communication difficulties in early years settings.  

What happens during an assessment? 

The first appointment will be on the telephone to discuss your child and their communication. This may include: 

• How your child feels about their communication 
• Any specific areas of communication you need advice on. 
• Your child’s early developmental and health information 
• What support is currently in place 

If you have accessed another NHS Solihull therapy service, including Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, or Specialist Assessment Service for your child, you may have already completed this part of the process. Please let the therapist know so they can access and share this information, with your consent.  

We will send specific information and resources to support your child at nursery and/or at home.  

If required, we will suggest an appointment to complete further assessments with your child.  

Please visit the following links for more information on how communication will usually develop:

• Resource library for families – Speech and Language UK: Changing young lives 
• The Stages of Gestalt Language Development (meaningfulspeech.com) For children who use echolalia (repeat what others say) 

Following further assessment, the therapist will explain what the assessment has shown and talk through the next steps.  

What happens after assessment? 

If your child has an assessment, following this, the Speech & Language Therapist will write a report which will include: 

• Information from the parent/carer and teachers (if appropriate) about the child’s communication. 
• Description of the assessment process and the results of any formal assessments completed.  
• Individualised recommendations to support areas of concern.  

Reports are sent to parents/carers, the child’s GP, and other relevant professionals as agreed with parents/carers. SLT reports can be used to inform a young person’s Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), although few children who receive speech & language therapy will require an EHCP. 

For some children, we may suggest a package of care such as a visit into school, and/or a series of sessions in clinic to coach adults around the child.  

For some early years children, this report marks the end of their involvement with the SLT service (see SLT discharge for further information).  

Parents/carers and professionals are welcome to contact the Speech & Language Therapy service by telephone for further information and advice until the young person reaches their 18th birthday.  

Additional Early Years Contracted Support

We work closely with named nurseries in Solihull who offer a high number of funded places for two-year olds. 

The team of therapists and assistants working in these settings offer specific assessments and therapy for children who are known to the service. 

They also provide coaching and training programmes for staff and work closely with them to create communication rich environments. 

In each setting, a Communication Champion links with our service, and they attend and distribute the training and support offered to the rest of the staff. 

This support can aid appropriate referrals into the service when needed, as well as reduce the need for referrals through Early Intervention.